Two Girls Against The Spirit World
by SideshowJazz1
Summary: Chihiro had an older sister, who was spirited away with her. While Chihiro was shy, awkward, spoilt and lazy, Arya was snarky, unsympathetic, arrogant and suspicious. If Chihiro learns responsibility, social skills and work ethic, what should her sister learn? And more importantly, will she return to the human world safely? Storyline of the movie with OC. Please, please review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been trying to find a story like this, and I couldn't. So I decided to write my own. Basically, it's the movie with Chihiro's OC sister, but I decided to work on her. She's not a Mary-Sue. Yeah, she's snarky and mean, but she has more than that to her. Please, please, please read! And ignore the non-Japanese name I give her...I liked it better than the name I originally intended.**

**Plot: When ten-year-old Chihiro and her eleven-year-old sister Arya stumble into a world full of spirits, they have to learn to survive, and how to work hard. Possible Chihiro/Haku or Haku/OC.**

**Disclaimer: Most of this is owned by Studio Ghibli and the amazing Miyazaki! I only own Arya.**

Two girls were sitting in the back of the car, squashed in by the boxes. The younger girl was half lying on the seat, knees drawn up, holding a bunch of pink flowers. Her brown ponytail was messed up, and her dark eyes were only half-open. The older girl was sitting properly, listening to a song on her iPod, eyes closed. Her hair, darker than the other girl's, was in a messy bun, obviously messy from the minute she 'd made it up.

"Girls, we're almost there." Their dad's voice was loud enough to get through her earphones.

"This really is in the middle of nowhere." their mom exclaimed. "I'm going to have to go to the next town to shop."

"Yet another reason not to move." the older girl muttered.

"Arya, this is your last warning." her mother warned. Neither of her parents had any patience with the eleven-year-old's snarky remarks, and this was the seventh one she'd made since they began driving.

They passed a school. "Look, girls, there's your new school." their dad said. "Looks great, doesn't it?"

The younger girl finally sat up, took one look at the school and stuck her tongue out. "It's gonna suck." she muttered, slumping back down. "I liked my old school."

"We all liked our old stuff, Chihiro." Arya said. "This school is probably older than your last school – so you should like it." She didn't want to go to a new school, either, but she didn't say so.

Chihiro was only a year younger than Arya, but you'd never know it from the superior way the older girl spoke. You'd think she was a lot older. The two girls argued nearly every day. Chihiro, according to Arya, was lazy, spoilt and babyish, and Arya, from Chihiro's point of view, was rude, superficial and just plain weird. But neither girl had wanted to move from Kyoto. They both liked their old house, their old school, and their old friends. Chihiro was shy and quiet, never finding it easy to make friends. Arya was usually labelled badly because of her sarcasm, but she had friends at school and didn't want to have to give up her wit just to be well-liked.

Suddenly, Chihiro sat up, staring at the pink flowers. "Mom, my flowers are dying!" she whined.

"I told you not to smother them like that." her mother reminded her. "We'll put them in water when we get to our new home."

Chihiro sat back. "I finally get a bouquet and it's a goodbye present. That's depressing."

"Why do you want a bouquet, anyway?" Arya asked, finally switching off her iPod. "It'll die, anyway. I know I feel like dying around you." She often enjoyed winding her sister up.

"Arya!" her mother said sharply. "I've warned you, young lady."

Arya scowled, but she didn't say anything else.

After a few more minutes, the car stopped on an earthy road. The girls' father frowned. "Wait, did I take the wrong turn? This can't be right."

"Look, there's our house!" the girls' mom, said, looking up at a line of houses. "It's that blue one on the end."

"Oh, you're right. I must've missed the turn off. This road should get us there."

"Honey, don't take a shortcut. You always get us lost."

Chihiro was looking at the little stones to the side of the road. According to her mom, they were shrines for the spirits to live in.

Their father ignored the warning and drove.

"Dad, I think we're lost." Chihiro said, leaning over.

"We're fine, I've got four wheel drive." her dad said, as they passed a bump.

"Sit down, please, sweetie." her mom added.

Arya continued glowering in silence as all of this happened. Finally, the girls' dad screeched to a halt in front of a creepy statue.

The girls' dad got out to take a closer look at the arched tunnel behind the statue. It was a huge red structure with the tunnel as an opening

"Honey, get back in the car! We're going to be late!" his wife called, as the girls followed. 'Chihiro, Arya!" Finally, she followed.

A little breeze passed by the entrance of the

"The wind's pulling us in." murmured Chihiro.

"Let's go in, I want to see what's on the other side." her dad said.

"Yeah, good idea, let's take a look!" Arya smiled.

Her dad patted her shoulder. "That's my girl, up for a little adventure."

On the other hand, Chihiro scowled. "I'm not going! It gives me the creeps."

The girls' dad managed to convince their mom to look quickly, too, but not Chihiro. As they left, Chihiro stood by the car. "Come on, you guys! Let's get out of here!"

"Fine, wait by the creepy statue, it'll keep you company!" Arya called as the rest of the family walked in. Immediately, Chihiro took one look at the statue's weird smile and cringed. Then she followed. "Wait for me!"

The tunnel ended in an earth-coloured room, full of benches, old-fashioned lights and stained glass windows that shone rainbows through the room. The exit outside was on the other side.

Arya was the first to venture forward. The lights and windows were just the kind of thing that appealed to her. She loved pretty things, and she loved the feeling she got as she twirled around in the colour, savouring the moment. Chihiro scowled at her. She saw it as showing off. It didn't help that Arya was athletic and somewhat graceful, while Chihiro was, to put it bluntly, a total klutz.

After that, they came out of the room into the sunlight. There was a field, leading up to what their dad said was an abandoned theme park. Chihiro was all for going back, but there was some more exploring to be done. All Arya wanted to do was stay, but she didn't want to be there on her own.

"Where are you going?" yelled Chihiro as her parents continued to venture forward. "You said just a quick look! Now let's go back!"

Arya shrugged and grabbed Chihiro's wrist. "Come on, Mom and Dad are too far ahead. We can't force them."

But it seemed, judging by the aroma coming from the empty stalls, that someone was still there. Their dad was the first to find the stall full of unusual but delectable-looking foo.

No one was in sight, but the girls' mom said that they could eat first and pay when the person was back. But the two girls refused. There was a pit feeling in Arya's stomach telling her that there was something not right about this, and Chihiro just wouldn't – she already had a bad feeling about the place.

"I don't want any." Chihiro said. "We're gonna get in trouble."

"Besides," Arya said, "You don't know when they're getting back. How long are you going to wait?"

"Oh, they shouldn't take long." the girls' dad said airily. "Anyway, you don't need to worry. I've got credit cards and cash."

Arya recoiled at the way the two adults began scoffing things down. She didn't even know what they were eating, and by their mom's comment ("I wonder what this is called") neither did her parents, but they ate like Augustus Gloop. Never had she seen anything like it. Chihiro obviously felt the same way, and the girls walked through the theme park together, up to a beautifully made bridge with a bathouse on the other side.

"Pretty." Arya breathed, staring at the colourful building. It was traditionally Japanese with rice paper doors and amazing architecture. She loved buildings like this – it was one of the reasons she would miss Kyoto. It had wonderful buildings and gardens.

There was a train under the bridge. The girls watched it go by silently. After seeing it pass under the bridge, Chihiro ran to the other side to watch it disappear into the distance.

It was then that both girls noticed the boy.

He was older than them, a teenager, with green hair and dark green eyes. His clothes were traditional, too. Both girls gasped when they realized how close he was standing without them having noticed. The boy appeared to gasp too.

There was a pause. Then the boy frowned and said "You shouldn't be here. Get out of here, now!"

"What?" Chihiro began.

"It's almost night. Leave, before it gets dark." the boy ordered.

Lanterns around the park began lighting up. The boy gave both girls a little shove. "You've got to get across the river. Go! I'll distract them!"

The girls didn't argue. They just ran, and that was when they found out what was wrong with the food, why they were right in not trying it. They tried to pull their parents away, but they were...

"Pigs!" shrieked Arya. She grabbed Chihiro's hand again and they kept running, trying to keep out of the way of the shadowy figures they passed. Chihiro reached the steps first, but Arya stopped as Chihiro did, running the other way up. The field had become water, and Chihiro hadn't stopped in time. She was soaked up to her stomach, her loose T-shirt clinging to her.

"I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming!" Chihiro cried. Arya was transfixed by all the bright lights, but she shivered, too. What was going on? This didn't make sense!

**In the words of the scriptwriter of "Howl's Moving Castle Abridged", this is a Ghibli movie, so nothing makes sense in the beginning. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Right. Now let's continue. Thanks for reviewing, iamgoku!**

By the time the boy got to the two girls, they were beginning to fade away, literally. Arya was shaking as she sat by her sister, and Chihiro was crouched, head down.

Suddenly, the two girls looked up as they felt an arm around both of them. It was the boy.

Arya immediately fixed her blue eyes on him, glaring. "What the hell did you do? What's going on here?"

Chihiro still looked terrified.

"I didn't do anything." the boy answered Arya. "I just want to help you two girls." He held out berries to both of them. "Eat these. You have to eat something from this world, or else you'll disappear."

"No!" cried Chihiro, attempting to push the boy away. But then, her hands went right through him.

"Don't worry." the boy said pushing the berries at both of the girls. "It won't turn you into a pig."

Arya obediently put it into her mouth, and Chihiro followed.

"There you go." the boy said with a small smile. "You're all better. See for yourself." He pressed his palms against the two girls'. They were as solid as anything. "Now, come with me."

"Where's our mom and dad?" Chihiro asked. "They didn't really turn into pigs, did they?"

"You can't see them now, but you will." the boy reassured her.

"Can you at least explain what the heck's going on here!" Arya demanded. "I'm not doing anything until you explain it to me."

Suddenly, the boy stiffened. "Don't move." he whispered, using himself to hide the two skinny little girls from view. A bird with a woman's head looked down, but it seemed that it didn't see them.

"That bird's looking for you." the boy said. He glanced at Arya again. "I can't explain things here, but I will soon, I promise." He attempted to pull the girls up, but they dropped to the ground again.

"I can't stand up!" Chihiro panicked. "Help! What do I do?"

"Calm down." the boy said. He moved his hands over the girls' legs, muttering "In the name of water and wind within thee, unbind them." This time, when he pulled at the girls, they shot to their feet and then he was running, dragging one girl with each hand. Finally, they reached a bridge.

The boy gave the girls a short explanation that they were all spirits, and that the two girls would probably face the same fate as their parents for just being in the spirit world. They needed to get to the bathhouse without being seen by the other spirits. "You have to hold your breath as you cross the bridge." he told the girls. "One breath, and the spell breaks, then everyone will see you."

The boy approached, the girls close by his side. The man next to the bridge greeted him. "Welcome back, Master Haku."

"Take a breath." Haku reminded the girls. "Hold it." Arya had been taking saxophone lessons and could hold her breath for a long time, so she wasn't struggling as much as Chihiro, but they got a fair way across even before she messed up.

Suddenly, a frog jumped in front of them. "Master Haku!" the frog cried, grinning. "Where've you been?"

Chihiro gasped, and the frog saw her. "What? A human?"

Arya kept holding her breath until they were off the bridge, but the damage was done as Haku quickly froze the frog momentarily and got the girls into the garden. The girls could hear people yelling about the human girl – just one girl, since they'd only seen Chihiro.

"I'm sorry...I took a breath." Chihiro apologized.

"No, Chihiro, you did very well." Haku told her. "And you too, Arya. Anyway, listen carefully to my instructions. You can't just stay here – then they'll find you, and you'll never be able to rescue your parents. I'll create a diversion so you can leave."

Chihiro objected. "No, don't leave us! We can't do this on our own!"

"You have no choice if you want to help your parents." Haku said firmly.

Chihiro frowned. "I wasn't dreaming..." she said softly.

"No duh, sister!" Arya quipped. "I saw everything you did, too. You think I have your delusions?"

Haku ignored her, and then gave them instructions, pressing a hand to each of their foreheads and using his powers so that the girls could see exactly what they were meant to do. He told them to go to the boiler room, showing them a route, where they would find the boiler man, named Kamaji. They needed to ask him for work. "If you don't, Yubaba will turn you into an animal." Haku explained. "She's the witch who runs the bathouse. Kamaji will try to turn you away, or trick you into leaving, but just keep asking for work. It'll be hard work, but you'll be able to stay here."

Aina was starting to relax, now she knew what to do. "Well, I hope my little sister here can hack it." she joked. "She's not exactly the most diligent person among humans – I don't know how she'll do among spirits."

Chihiro glared. "Hey, Arya, if you can do it, so can I. And I'm not lazy!"

At that moment, a voice called "Master Haku!"

"I have to go." Haku whispered to the girls. "And don't forget, I'm your friend."

Chihiro stopped him. "Wait a second...you said our names before. How did you know them?"

Haku smiled slightly. "I've known both of you since you were very small." That was it. The two girls were alone in fathe garden.

Arya sighed. "Come on, Chihiro. You remember the route he showed us?"

Chihiro nodded shyly. "Uh-huh."

They got to the stairs. "Want me to go first?" Arya offered. "That way, you'll be okay. There isn't a handrail, but I think we should be okay to get down."

Chihiro frowned. "Arya, why are you being so nice to me?" she asked bluntly.

Arya shrugged. "You're my sister, right? My little sister, I could add. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I really don't want to see you turned into a piglet." She began slowly descending the steps, using her hands and feet, sitting on the steps, then cautiously stepping on the next. Chihiro followed, even more cautiously. Of course, by the time Arya was at the foot of the staircase, Chihiro's foot broke one, and she ran down the rest of the steps, screaming and eventually smacking into the wall. Arya facepalmed as a window above them opened and someone looked out, but luckily didn't see them.

"Next stop, the boiler room." Arya muttered. "Remember what Haku said? Keep asking, no matter what this Kamaji guy says."

**So yeah...that's Arya, I guess. This chapter sucks, but I'll do better, I'm sure. Please review! Thanks for all the follows, but take the time to review, too, please?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Right. Let's keep going! Thanks for reviewing, SAK00.**

The boiler room was unbearably hot, and sweat trickled down the girls' faces. Chihiro's T-shirt and shorts dried from her unintentional dip in the river, but continued to cling to her with the sweat. Arya's jeans were becoming uncomfortable, and she silently cursed her enjoyment of form-fitting T-shirts, which she wore to show off her nearly-flat stomach.

Arya was the first to approach the room, and she beckoned Chihiro over, catching her first glimpse of Kamaji.

He was a spider-like creature with several legs, but apart from that he resembled a human.

Neither girl had much luck asking him for a job. He had enchanted soot balls that worked the boiler, and he wasn't a bit sympathetic towards the girls. It didn't help when Chihiro took pity on a struggling soot ball and did its work.

Chihiro looked upset, but Arya shrugged. "I'll learn from this world. Take notes: most spirits despise humans."

After a few minutes, the girls finally got a lifeline.

A female spirit who looked like a young adult, came in, calling out "Chow time!" She was carrying a bowl for Kamaji, and then she gave what looked like sprinkles to the soot balls, who were happy to take a break. But right in the middle of doing so, she caught sight of the girls.

"Humans!" she exclaimed, scowling. "You two are in trouble! You're the ones everyone's looking for."

Arya opened her mouth to blurt out an explanation – any explanation, but Kamaji beat her to the punch. "They're my granddaughters." he said. "They want to work here, but I've got all the help I need. Will you take them to see Yubaba? They're tough girls – I think they can handle it."

He had to bribe her with a roasted newt, but she agreed. "Come on, girls." she frowned at them. "You better follow me."

Arya matched her scowl and muttered "Whatever."

"Aren't you polite." the woman muttered herself before turning her attention on Chihiro. "And can't you even manage a 'yes, ma'am' or a 'thank you'?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro said quickly.

"A nut and a dope. Great." the woman muttered. "Hurry up."

"Whatever – and don't call me a nut." Arya muttered the last part.

"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro repeated.

The girls had to leave their shoes and socks. Before leaving, Arya turned around and said "Thank you for your help, Mr Kamaji." She bowed. After all, who knows what would've happened if he hadn't spoken up for them.

"Thank you, Mr boiler man." Chihiro echoed.

"Good luck!" Kamaji called.

The girls obediently stuck close to the woman as she took them up through several lifts. They even had a few worrying moments when the giant Radish Spirit followed them, and a bathouse worker sensed that there were humans. According to him, the girls learned, the woman's name was Lin. She distracted the bathhouse worker while pushing the girls into the last lift with the radish spirit, calling "If you want to go up, pull the lever on your right!"

Arya did so, and they continued to move up.

Chihiro pressed against the wall, trying to make herself inconspicuous, and she tensed the minute the radish spirit looked at the girls.

"He doesn't seem bothered about us." Arya whispered. "Stop freaking."

"I'm not! Shut up!" Chihiro hissed. "We can't draw attention to ourselves."

When they did reach the top floor, the radish spirit bowed to them as they left the lift, and they bowed back.

Next, they had to approach a set of ornate doors. Chihiro reached for the door handle.

"Chihiro, kno-" Arya began, but was interrupted by the door knocker, a disturbing little face.

"Aren't you even going to knock?" The golden face rolled its eyes. "You two are the most pathetic little girls I've ever seen." But the doors opened.

"Well, come in." a gravelly voice said. Arya took a step, but Chihiro hung onto her, not moving herself.

"I said _come in._" Suddenly, an unseen force pulled the girls into a room. Three weird green heads approached them. Chihiro looked scared, but Arya aimed a kick at one of them.

"Quiet down, you're making a racket." muttered the witch at the desk on the other side of the room. She was dressed fancily, but she was still rather ugly.

"Are you Yubaba?" Arya asked.

It was Chihiro who asked the real question, though. "Please...I was wondering if you could give us jobs?"

Finally, Yubaba looked up. She made a zipping motion and suddenly, Chihiro couldn't open her mouth.

"I don't want to hear such a stupid request." Yubaba said coolly. "You two are just worthless weaklings, and this is no place for humans."

"Please," Arya began, "There must be some job we can do. Anything."

Yubaba ignored her, except to zip her mouth up too. "It's a bathouse for the spirits. It's where they come to replenish themselves, and you humans always ruin everything. Like your parents, gobbling up the food of the spirits like pigs. They got what they deserved, and you two should be punished too." She paused. "You could be piglets. Or maybe you'd prefer to be lumps of coal." She paused again, laughing. "I can see you shaking." Chihiro was trembling a lot, while Arya shook only a little. "Actually, I'm impressed you made it this far, but I'm sure you didn't do it on your own. Let's thank whoever helped you. Just who was it, dears? Why don't you tell me?" She unzipped the girls' mouths.

Neither girl was about to tell Yubaba who helped them, be it Haku, Kamaji or Lin. Arya spoke up again. "Please, can't we have jobs?"

Yubaba's eyes suddenly blazed. "Don't start that again!"

"Please, we just want to work!" Chihiro chipped in.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Yubaba was suddenly right in front of them. She glared at the two girls. "Why in the world do you think I should give you jobs? Anyone can see you're just a couple of lazy spoilt crybabies with no manners."

Arya scowled at the "crybaby" comment, but said nothing.

"This is a high-class business I'm running here, so there's no jobs for you." Yubaba continued. "Now get out. Or maybe..." she drew a finger across Chihiro's throat, making Arya try to pull the younger girl away and Chihiro freeze,"I'll give you the most difficult job I've got and work you until you breathe your very last breath..."

But at that moment, there was a crash and crying.

Yubaba gasped and flew to where the crying was coming from. "Oh dear, you've woken the baby!"

"Technically, her yelling woke it up." Arya whispered to Chihiro, who managed a smile. Yubaba was trying to comfort the baby, but she added to the girls "Why are you still here? I told you to leave!"

"We want jobs, please!" Chihiro said again.

"Quiet down, you're scaring the baby!"

"We're not leaving until you give us both jobs!" Arya called out.

"Okay, okay! Just be quiet!" The girls smiled shyly at their victory, inwardly at least. Yubaba was giving them jobs. Pens and contracts flew over to them, and they signed.

"So do I just sign here?" Chihiro asked, indicating a line.

"Just sign it! Do you want the job, or not?" Yubaba was muttering to herself. "Can't believe I took that oath. Give a job to anyone who asks...ridiculous, I hate being so nice all the time. Are you done yet?" The girls' finished signing.

Yubaba looked at Chihiro's contract first. "So, your name's Chihiro."

"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro said.

"What a pretty name." And before the girls' eyes, three of the characters that spelled out "Chihiro" lifted off the page and into Yubaba's hand. The witch continued to speak. "And it belongs to me now. From now on your name is Sen. Got that? Answer me, Sen!"

"Yes, ma'am!" answered the girl who had been called Chihiro only a minute ago.

Arya was prepared for her name to change after that. Yubaba told her that she was now "Ani". She nodded.

"You called for me?"

A familiar voice sounded, and the girls spun around. It was Haku.

"These girls signed contracts, set them up with jobs." ordered Yubaba in a bored voice.

Haku nodded. "What are your names?" He asked.

"Ani." Ani said.

"What?" Sen began. "Chihi – oh. It's Sen."

"All right." Haku said. "Follow me." He took them down in the lift, but he wasn't the same boy they'd met earlier. He was completely cold and detached.

The other spirits were none too pleased at having human girls with them, but there was nothing they could do.

"Where is Lin?" Haku asked.

Lin was leaning in the corner of a doorway, scowling. "What? Don't you dump them on me!"

"You said you wanted an assistant." Haku pointed out.

"That's perfect!" said one of the men. "Give the girls to Lin."

"Sen, Ani, get going." Haku ordered.

"Why are you picking on me?" Lin wanted to know. "You owe me one, Haku, you hear me?"

"Have a nice day!" said one of the men sarcastically, looking ecstatic that he didn't have to work with humans.

The girls followed Lin out into the hallway.

"I can't believe you pulled it off!" The girls were shocked when they heard and saw this. Lin was actually smiling at them. "I thought being a hard nut like you-" Ani - "wasn't going to be impressive, and you" - Sen - "were such a dope, I was really worried. Now, keep on your toes, and if either of you need anything, ask me, okay?"

Ani smiled. "Sure."

"Okay." murmured Sen.

Lin looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't feel so good." Sen admitted.

Lin showed the girls to their room, and gave them their clothes for work. Sen ventured to ask about Haku. His behaviour had confused her. "There aren't two of him here, are there?"

"Two Hakus? I can barely stand one." Lin said, trying to find a shirt that would fit the younger girl. "He's Yubaba's henchman. Don't trust anything he says."

Sen was still feeling sick, but Ani wasn't impressed. "Sis, honestly, get up." she said. "You have to stand strong. Stop playing the sick girl. You can't honestly be feeling that bad." She sighed. "Look, I feel sick, but I'm not crouching down and whimpering. Yubaba was kind of right about one thing – you _are_ a crybaby."

Lin was more sympathetic towards the younger girl. Finally, the girls were tucked up on futons and sleeping soundly, their minds starting to recover from what had happened.

**Well, that's the third chapter done. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for reviewing, Himeno Kazehito and dream lighting. Now, for...**

Sen was the first to wake up the next day, hearing something before anyone else was up. She instantly remembered where she was, and her eyes shot open, seeing Ani lying next to her on her own futon. She put out a hand to wake her up.

Ani opened her eyes blearily. "What-" she began.

"I can hear something!" Sen whispered.

Ani shrugged and closed her eyes as the rice doors opened and a familiar figure stepped in. Sen quickly feigned sleep.

A familiar voice spoke as the two girls each felt the pressure of a hand on their covered shoulders. "Meet me at the bridge. I'll take you to your parents."

And just like that, he was gone.

The girls got dressed quickly and went down to the bridge. Ani took in the beauty of the bathouse all over again. "Isn't it magnificent, Sen?" she asked.

"Yeah, whatever." her younger sister mumbled. She was still recovering from last night's events. She also felt a little bit spooked at the motionless figure that had been on the bridge the night before and was still there – a big black form with a traditional Japanese Noh play mask.

Haku didn't take long to turn up, and he led the girls to the pig pen. Their parents were asleep.

Sen went straight up to the fence and started yelling. "Mom, Dad, are you all right, it's me, Sen! Hey...wake up!" The pigs didn't react. "What's wrong with them? Are they sick?"

"No." Haku answered. "They ate too much. They're sleeping it off. They don't remember being human."

Ani quickly memorized exactly what their parents looked like in relation to the other animals in the pig pen.

"Don't worry I promise I'll get you out of there just don't get any fatter or else they'll eat you!" Sen screamed at the top of her voice with no pauses, just a long string of words. Then she ran away tearfully.

Ani kept herself calm. "Mom, Dad?" she said softly. "If you don't remember being human, you won't remember me. Just try to think back. Don't eat. Me and Sen will get you back to normal as soon as we can." Then she ran after her sister.

Haku followed the girls, and then gave them back the clothes and shoes they'd been wearing in the human world. They needed them before they could go home. Then Sen found the card that came with her bouquet from her best friend that read "_I'll miss you, Chihiro."_

"Chihiro..." the younger girl read it out. "That's my name, isn't it?" Haku gave a nod.

"That's how Yubaba controls you, by stealing your name. If you completely forget it, you'll never find your way home. I've tried everything to remember mine."

Ani gasped. "Oh no! Sen – I mean, Chihiro – I'd forgotten your name, and I can't remember whatever mine was, either!"

Chihiro screwed up her face in thought, and then exclaimed "I remember! You're Arya!"

"Arya..." the older girl nodded. "Yes, I remember now."

Chihiro realized something else Haku had said. "Wait...you can't remember your name?"

"No...but for some reason I remember yours." Haku smiled. "Both of yours. I'm not sure why, but Chihiro's name is stronger in my memory. I'm not sure why. Anyway, hang onto that card, and while you're here, you must call yourselves Sen and Ani." He pulled out a pen and wrote Arya's real name on the card, just so they could both remember.

After that, he offered them some onigiri, which was really something they needed. Sure, both girls started to cry after a few bites, but Haku put an arm around both of them and after they'd recovered, they felt much better than they had the night before.

They had to rush back to the bathouse quickly. Lin had woken up by the time they got back, and she'd been worried about them.

The girls had to get to work immediately. Chihiro had trouble as some of the girls ran back and forth cleaning the floors. Arya laughed at her.

Chihiro glared. "Here." she threw her rag down. "I'll do whatever you're supposed to be doing now, and you do my job."

"_Watch me shine_..." Arya sang the title of a song she liked. "...the floors." She laughed again, but when she tried, she was nearly as bad as Chihiro was.

"Geez, girls," Lin commented about twenty minutes later, "Haven't you ever worked a day in your lives?"

At that moment, one of the workers came by, saying "Lin, Sen, Ani, you get the big tub today."

"That's frog work!" exclaimed Lin angrily.

"Orders from the top, so quit your complaining."

"Is that bad?" Arya asked. "Guess us humans are liabilities. Sorry, Lin." She didn't sound or feel that sorry, but a bit of sympathy towards Lin crept in when she saw the state of said tub, although she felt more sorry for herself, having to scrub it.

"We only use this tub for our really filthy guests." Lin explained. At that moment, someone told them that they had customers, and Lin threw down the rag she was scrubbing with for a moment. "Give us a minute! This is clearly harassment. Ani, you go get a herbal soap token from the foreman. Soaking the tub will make it easier to clean." The tub was much taller than either of the girls, so Lin had to lift Arya out of it. Then the foreman refused to give her a token.

"What do you mean, you can't give me one?" the eleven-year-old demanded. "You'd give one to any spirit if they were asking. You're just refusing to give me one because I"m a human."

The foreman ignored her accusation of discrimination and simply answered "I can't waste a token on you." He broke off to give out some tokens to others, before snapping again at Arya. "Why are you still here? Scrub it yourself! I'm not giving you a token."

Arya scowled. "I'm working with Lin. She sent me. The tub has to have a herbal soak."

"That's too bad." the foreman said coldly..

At that moment, a figure appeared beside the foreman. Arya gasped at the black figure with the mask from the bridge. She smiled tentatively at it, wondering when he came in. It disappeared before the foreman saw him, but when the phone rang and the foreman was distracted, a random soap token suddenly rose up and gave itself to Arya.

Arya smiled sweetly at the foreman, knowing it had something to do with the masked spirit. All the same, she bowed, saying "Thank you." before running back to Chihiro and Lin, ignoring the foreman's yelling.

Lin showed the girls how to snap the soap token onto a strap inside the wall, then pull down on it to send it to Kamaji, who would then send the water through a pipe in the wall when they pulled a rope. Chihiro pulled the rope and immediately slipped over, since she was balancing on the tub.

"Ugh, you're such a klutz." muttered Lin, not unkindly. She went to get some breakfast for all three of them, and that was when the masked black figure showed up again. It had an armful of soap tokens, which it offered to both Chihiro and Arya.

"Who is this dude?" Arya asked.

"I don't know." Chihiro whispered back. "He was standing outside in the rain, so I left the door open for him."

"He got me a token earlier on." Arya said. "The foreman refused to give me one."

The masked figure didn't seem to be able to say anything past "Uh," but he seemed friendly, although he didn't show himself to anyone but the girls.

"Thanks, but we don't need any more." Chihiro told the masked spirit. He frowned.

"Aw, come on, you made him sad." Arya said. "I think he wants us to accept them." She smiled up at the spirit. "Is that right?"

The mask nodded. "Uh, uh."

Chihiro frowned. "How did he get all of them, though?" she asked. "I don't know if we should take them." That was when the spirit completely faded away and the tokens fell to the floor. After that, the tub started overflowing and Arya ran to pull the rope again to stop it.

**Next chapter will not just be Chihiro's story. Arya has her own path, and it's not Chihiro's. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Right. Now let's see what Arya's got to do. Thanks for reviewing, Himeno Kazehito.**

The rest of the day was different for the girls, to a point. While Chihiro was dealing with a spirit who turned out to be a polluted river spirit, Arya only came in when her sister needed help pulling out all of the junk in his river. The rest of the time, she was given the jobs that had to do absolutely nothing with customers. She suspected that she wasn't trusted to be polite to the customers, while shy Chihiro would be just that. As a result, her day was spent fetching things and cleaning. It was very mundane, until she joined the pulling with pretty much all the other employees, while Yubaba yelled orders.

Among all the junk was specks of real gold as payment, which everyone except the girls tried to grab until Yubaba yelled at them.

After the spirit was gone, Chihiro held a little bunch of something in her hand that the spirit had given her, and had gained a lot of favour. Yubaba actually hugged her. "Sen, you did great! We made so much money!" Arya had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling at her sister's expression.

"That spirit is rich and powerful." Yubaba continued. "Everyone, learn from Sen. Sake is on the house tonight, but first hand over all the gold you picked up."

That night, the girls sat on the deck outside their room, quite a bit after lights out.

"How come you managed to gain so much favour with the old witch and I'm nearly burned out but didn't get a single speck of recognition?" Arya complained (although actually, a lot of the workers were starting to accept the two girls, seeing them as a package deal – Chihiro did a good job, therefore Arya did too).

"It was pure luck." Chihiro shrugged. She held out the gift from the river spirit. "You could do whatever you want with half of this, I guess."

Arya shook her head. "I don't want it. Weren't you going to give it to Mom and Dad, anyway? I would too, if it broke the spell on them."

"It will." Chihiro said confidently. "I tried it and it tastes awful, so it can't be for humans."

"Who says it can't be for spirits?" Arya said. "If roasted newt is a delicacy, than I'd expect they'd like the gift."

Lin was on the balcony with them. "Hey!" she protested. "Don't knock roasted newt until you've tried it."

Arya laughed. "I'll let my sister do the taste test. Then maybe I'll try it."

"Who says I won't lie?" Chihiro challenged.

"Cause every time you don't like something, your face screws up and your version of lying about food is to make a big production of swallowing, then smile weakly and tell whoever made you try it that it's good."

The next morning, Chihiro was up later than anyone else. Well, Yubaba wasn't around, but everyone else was.

Chihiro noticed immediately how quiet the room was, and she saw the steam rising up.

"Kamaji lit the boiler already? How long was I asleep?" Kamaji hadn't even been up when they'd gone through the boiler room the day before.

When Chihiro got dressed and left the room, Arya was already coming up. "Hey, I was just coming to wake you up – Lin told me to. Remember the masked guy? Well, he found a voice and is giving everyone handfuls of gold. Everyone's serving him food and he's just gobbling it all down...it's kind of creepy. Everyone's trying to get as much gold as they can before Yubaba turns up and discovers that everyone's taking it for themselves."

Chihiro shrugged. "Is Haku back?" she asked. She'd asked after him the night before, but Lin had just said that he disappeared sometimes for some reason.

Arya shrugged back. "I haven't seen him. Why?"

"Just wondering." Chihiro said. "Did you see him yesterday as a dragon? Just before we left the bridge, I saw it...he was beautiful."

Arya smiled. "Let me know if he comes back in dragon form. Until then, are you coming to see the masked guy again? Personally, I'm bored of him."

Chihiro shook her head. "No. We've already talked to him, and it looks pretty crowded down there."

As it happened, Haku came back that very same day. The girls waited out on the balcony of their room.

"Arya...do you still remember what our parents look like?" Chihiro asked out of the blue.  
"Pigs or humans?" Arya asked.

"Both." Chihiro said. "I'm still finding it hard to hang on to my own name when everyone's calling me Sen, let alone what our parents looked like before this. I can remember them as pigs, but it's harder to remember how they were before that."

Arya thought for a moment. After all, she was the one that took in appearances. "Mom had hair like yours." she said. "My hair is more the same colour as Dad's. They both had brown eyes...I'm not sure where I got blue eyes. Maybe it's cause Mom is only half-Japanese and her dad had blue eyes. Anyway, Mom was kind of skinny, and Dad was big. And jovial. Remember that? Mom was a bit more sensible."

That was when the dragon Chihiro had seen. "Look!" she cried. "It's Haku!"

The girls watched these strange origami birds chasing him, noticing the blood leaking out.

"Haku, fight them!" Chihiro called, but then stopped, seeing the blood.

"He's hurt." the girls whispered together.

Once Haku had gotten inside, the paper flew off, but Haku attempted to fly to the top of the bathouse, leaving the rice paper doors blood-spattered.

"We've got to get there before he bleeds to death!' Chihiro exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Arya said. She genuinely cared for the spirit by this time, and was scared for him. He'd been in honestly terrible shape. The girls began to run to find their way to the elevator.

Neither girl noticed the origami shape that stuck to Chihiro's back.

**OK, so nothing really spectacular in that chapter. But review anyway, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Right. Now, let's see...thanks for reviewing, Rose.**

The girls were deterred by the masked spirit and the other people. One of the men was chanting a little rhyme about welcoming the "rich man". "_Beg for tips, this is the time! Beg for tips, make yourselves a dime!"_

The girls ended up right in the masked spirit's way when a spirit refused to let them in the elevator, especially when he saw the blood on Chihiro's hands.

"Get out of the way, our guest is coming through here!" the chanting man yelled at the two girls.

Arya put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I'm not in his way." she said. "I'm standing to the side. Besides, I need to say thank you to our guest for getting me soap tokens yesterday."

Chihiro ignored the man and said to the spirit "Thank you for helping me and my sister earlier."

"Don't talk to him, you -" the man began, but the masked spirit threw him back and beckoned both girls over. Offering them a huge handful of gold. Although he'd been speaking, he went back to just saying "uh" over and over when he did so.

Arya smiled at him and said "We're sorry, but we're really too busy at the moment to talk money."

"We don't want any, but thanks." added Chihiro.

They ran to go to Haku, but Arya hung back, hearing the man apologizing to the masked spirit. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. You'll have to excuse the little girls, they're just humans..."

And Arya also saw the masked spirit consume two people after ordering the man to "Wipe that smile off your face. You're still smiling..." And she was relieved she hadn't accepted the gold. After that, she ran after Chihiro, who'd decided to get to the top floor by the outside. Clumsy she may have been, but she was finding some hidden bravery inside her.

Arya was quicker, so she caught up with Chihiro easily, and saw the pipe she was planning to walk across to get to the ladder. "Follow my lead." she instructed the younger girl, balancing on the pipe and reaching the ladder quickly. Chihiro ran across, and the pipe nearly broke off the building, but she was safe.

Luckily, they reached the top without getting caught, but they ended up in an ornate bathroom and then, in desparation, eneded up in an elaborate playroom.

"Yubaba's baby must be in here somewhere." Arya whispered.

They could hear Yubaba talking on the phone. "All right, don't let him eat anyone else til' I get down here."

"The masked dude ate two people." whispered Arya.

But Chihiro was more interested in Yubaba's next words when she put the phone down. "Haku is bleeding all over the carpet. Get him out of here, he'll be dead soon anyway."

The girls had to hide in the nursery, too, since Yubaba went in to check on her baby. Chihiro dived into a stack of cushions, while Arya hid behind the canopied bed. Just Chihiro's luck that the baby was actually hidden under the cushions. Yubaba didn't find her, but the minute she was gone and the girls emerged, a hand shot out and pulled Chihiro back. Arya instantly dived into the cushions with her sister and both girls were soon staring into the face of a giant baby.

"Ow, let go of me!" Chihiro cried.

"Let her go!" Arya said supportively.

"You came in here to make me sick." the baby accused. "You're bad germs from outside, aren't you?"

Arya scowled. "We're not germs, we're humans. Shut up and let my sister go!"

In answer, the baby grabbed Arya's arm with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Chihiro's wrist.

"You'll get sick if you go outside." the baby said, very seriously. "So stay here and play with me."

"We'd love to, but we can't right now!" Arya insisted.

"You won't get sick if you go outside." Chihiro argued.

"Yes, you will." the baby insisted. "That's why I've never left this room."

"Staying in this room is what'll make you sick!" Chihiro answered. Their parents had always encouraged them to get some fresh air every day. "Listen, someone very important to me is terribly hurt."

"We need to help him before anything else." Arya finished. "Please let go of us!"

"If you go, I'll cry," the baby threatened, "And Mama will hear me and Mama will come in here and kill you." His grip on the girls tightened. "Play with me or I'll break your arm."

"We'll play with you later!" Arya suggested. "Just let go of us."

"No, I wanna play now!"

Chihiro thought for a moment, then showed her blood-stained hand to the baby. "Germs, I've got germs, see?"

The baby instantly let go of both girls and started wailing, so they ran for it, flying straight to Haku's side, although Yubaba's three green heads were trying to push him into a pit. Chihiro was talking the whole time, asking "Haku, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Arya was silent, but she knelt by Haku and her affectionate actions proved her concern.

But then, the baby walked out. "I'm not afraid of germs." he said defiantly. "If you don't play with me, I'll cry."

"Please don't cry, just wait!" Chihiro pleaded. Arya ignored the baby. Yubaba was downstairs, as she knew. She was leaning over Haku, trying to see if she could do anything for his injuries. Yubaba's bird that had her face was trying to attack her, but she ignored that too.

"Right now," the baby insisted, "Or I'll start crying..." he burst into tears, but suddenly, the paper bird that had attached itself to Chihiro flew off and flew up to the baby's face.

"What a spoilt brat!" a familiar voice said to it. "Shut your big mouth!" Suddenly, out of the bird appeared a slightly transparent figure that was the spitting image of Yubaba. She checked herself, frowning. "Still see-through."

"Mama?" the baby whispered.

The clone glared at him. "Can't you even tell me from your own mother?" She clicked her fingers and the baby turned into a mouse. "There, your body matches your brain." Then she turned the bird into a fly and the three green heads into the baby's clone. Then she noticed the girls. "This'll be our little secret." she told them, brightly adding "Tell anyone else and I'll rip your mouth out."

"Who are you?" the girls asked together.

"Zeniba, I'm Yubaba's twin sister." the witch answered. She explained that Haku had supposedly stolen her golden magic seal, and she wanted it back. In addition, there was a spell that killed anyone who stole the seal.

The girls found this hard to believe. Arya raised an eyebrow, while Chihiro said out loud "Haku wouldn't steal! He's a good person!"

Zeniba argued this point, too. "Do you know why he became my sister's apprentice? To steal her magic secrets, and now he's stolen my magic too."

As she spoke, the baby-turned-mouse scrambled up onto Arya's shoulder with the bird-turned-fly, and then Haku smashed his tail against the origami bird Zeniba's form came from. She broke in half and faded away. "Ow, a paper cut..."

The girls were still hanging onto Haku as he fell into the pit they were beside.

But as they fell, they were practically riding on the dragon (in an innocent way). Halfway through, Haku dove up, and they ended up in the boiler room. But as that had happened, memories had flown through Chihiro's and Arya's minds. Chihiro had remembered something white and turquoise, being underwater, but it hadn't surfaced properly. Arya remembered more clearly something white and a river, but all she remembered about it was sitting on the bank, with her legs dangling so that they were submerged to her mid-calves. The girls remembered Haku was connected to them, but they didn't remember where the images came from, or how they were connected with the dragon.

**Yeah, as you suspected, Arya knows Haku too, but he doesn't remember her so much because she didn't fall in the way Chihiro did. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Right. Next up...let's see...thanks for your reviews, dream lighting, HitmanTargetsYou and Himeno Kazehito.**

After falling into the boiler room, nearly on top of Kamaji, the girls knew something was still terribly wrong with Haku. That spell Zeniba had cast on her seal had definitely been doing its damage, but Haku was alive...for now.

Even Kamaji left his post at the boiler, seeing how serious Haku's condition was. "Maybe he swallowed something." he suggested.

Arya nudged Chihiro. "Sis...the river spirit's gift..." Chihiro nodded. She broke off a piece and while the girls had to force it into Haku, it really was no different than what he'd done with the berries. Had Arya not ended up taking it with worded persuasion, she had a feeling Haku would have forced them to take the berries – after all, he was saving their lives.

And this time, it was life-saving again.. Haku choked out two things: a little seal made of gold – so Haku _had _taken it in spite of what Chihiro had said – and a black slug-like creature.

"Look there!" exclaimed Kamaji. Chihiro rushed over to pick up the seal, while Arya, on Kamaji's advice, squished and killed the slug. She blanched at the black slime between her toes.

"You killed it!" Kamaji exclaimed. "Those things are bad luck. Quickly, before it rubs off on you – put your thumbs and forefingers together." Arya obeyed. "Evil – be gone." Kamaji cut the connection with her thumbs and forefingers with one hand.

Chihiro didn't know what to do with the seal yet, but Haku was still the main issue. He turned back into a boy, but no one could be sure whether he'd survive stealing Zeniba's seal. He was unconscious.

It was Chihiro's idea that what might help is if they returned the seal to Zeniba. But to do that, they needed train tickets, but luckily, Kamaji had been saving train tickets for 40 years. Five tickets, in fact, so the mouse baby and fly could come too – and they could bring someone else.

While Kamaji was finding the tickets, Lin came in. She'd been trying to find them - apparently It was about the gold-giver. "He turned out to be a monster called No-Face, and he says that you let him in the bath house." she told Chihiro.

"I did." Chihiro admitted. "I thought he was a customer."

"And he helped me when the foreman wouldn't give me a soap token." Arya added. "He didn't seem like a monster. But then, I saw him-"

"He's already eaten three people!" Lin exclaimed.

"Just what I was going to say." Arya muttered. "What are we supposed to do about it?"

They soon knew. No-Face wanted to talk to them. Kamaji gave them the tickets and instructions on where to stop, and the girls set off to solve the problem with No-Face before they took the seal back.

"Haku, I'll be back soon." Chihiro reassured the unconcious spirit.

Arya said nothing, but she kissed Haku on the cheek before following her sister.

"What's going on?" Lin wondered out loud.

"Something you wouldn't recognize." Kamaji told her. "It's called love."

The girls quickly grabbed their old clothes, which the soot balls had been keeping safe for them, along with the card that their names were on. They changed into them and put their work clothes over them before they went to face the music.

Yubaba pretty much pushed the girls into the room with No-Face, but not before telling to get all the gold from him that they could. Arya heard through the door that someone was asking if the girls would be okay in there by themselves, and Yubaba asking "You want to take their place?" She couldn't help but smirk a little. Did a random spirit really not want them dead?

"Come closer, girls." No-Face said. "Want some gold? I'm not giving it to anyone else. What would you like?"

"We would like to leave, sir." Chihiro said, her voice taking on a more adult tone than she'd ever used before in her life. "We have someplace we need to go to right away, please."

Arya's voice had the same tone. "You should also leave here. Yubaba would prefer that you weren't in the bathouse any longer. Don't you have somewhere to go to, or someone?"

"No." No-Face answered, his mask's mouth turning downwards. "No, I'm lonely."

"What do you want?" Chihiro asked.

"I want Ani and Sen!" No-Face answered firmly. He wanted them, but in what way? Arya wondered if he meant that he wanted to eat them, too.

Luckily, Chihiro thought fast and gave him the rest of the medicine from the river spirit. It made him start throwing up, and angered him towards the girls, but they made a run for it, and by the time they made it out of the bathouse, he'd thrown up two of the people he'd eaten.

Lin was waiting for the girls with a makeshift boat to take to the flooded train station. The girls took their work clothes off, leaving only their old clothes. Chihiro called to the much thinner and rapidly calming No-Face.

"Don't call him over!' Lin admonished, as No-Face jumped into the water and made his way towards the boat.

"I think he's okay now." Arya said, looking at the masked spirit. "The bathouse had a bad effect on him. Maybe he needed to be outside." Her point was proved when No-Face choked out the one other person he'd eaten – the talking frog that had made Chihiro gasp that night on the bridge. No-Face was back to normal, although he could no longer talk. He'd been using the frog's voice up until then.

"Yeah, being in the bathouse made him crazy. He needed to get out of there." Chihiro agreed.

"Yeah, and go where?" Lin challenged. "Great, now he's following us."

"He won't hurt us." Chihiro said confidently.

Lin let the girls out on the train rails, pointing out the stop. The girls took off their shoes and socks, planning to put them on once they got to the station. First, they had to wade there, and Arya had to roll up her jeans, in any case.

"Sen! Ani!" Lin called, just as the girls were already 200 metres away. "I'm sorry I called you two a dope and a hard nut before! I take it back!"

The girls waved.

"She's like another sister." Chihiro mused.

"An older sister," added Arya, "Because she always made sure that we were always okay, even though she was definitely irritated with us half the time. I'll miss her when we go home."

"Me too."

At that moment, the girls heard Lin yelling at their follower. "No-Face, if you put even one scratch on either of those girls, you're in big trouble!"

The sisters exchanged smiles, and when the train came, they needed all five tickets. Two for them, two for Yubaba's bird-turned-fly and her baby-turned-mouse, and the last one for No-Face. The train ride was long, and there was a feeling of hostility in the carriage, but the girls endured the ride. Chihiro clutched the seal in her hand, while Arya stared pensively out the window. No-Face sat beside them. As they waited, they wondered what would happen when they reached Zeniba's home.

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**To continue on...thanks for reviewing, dream lighting, Himeno Kazehito, Veseer Vivian and Rebellion-10.**

The girls were in for a surprise when they finally reached Zeniba's house. For one thing, she seemed to have been expecting them all, the first words she said being "So, you all made it." Maybe she'd had something to do with the lampost that had led them to her house, too.

Chihiro presented her with the seal. "I came to give it back."

"I see. Do you have any idea what this is?" Zeniba asked.

"Is it or is it not the seal you said Haku stole?" Arya asked, looking a bit annoyed. "We wanted to apologize for him."

"He sliced me in two, you know," Zeniba stated, "And I'm still angry." However, she seemed happy to have the seal back, although she was surprised at one thing. "What? The protective spell is gone!"

Chihiro frowned. "I'm sorry...you mean that black slug that was on your seal?"

"I squashed it." Arya explained.

Zeniba laughed. "That wasn't my slug! My sister put that slug in Haku so she could control him. You squashed it..." she laughed again. "But what happened to my spell? Only love can break it."

Arya remembered what Kamaji had said. Maybe it was true. But who had broken the spell – her or Chihiro? Each girl felt sure that it was them, but doubts swirled around. Haku had helped them from the start, and they both wanted to return the favour, but did the intense need to save him and caring feelings mean that it was love?

The baby-turned-mouse and bird-turned-fly were still on Arya's shoulder. "Hey," she said, "Could you please change these two back to normal?"

"The spell on those two wore off long ago." Zeniba explained. "They can change back if they want to." Both of them shook their heads.

While Zeniba set up tea, the two creatures were set to spinning thread by running on the wheel, as the girls and No-Face sat at the table. The girls found Zeniba was nothing at all like she had been back at the bathouse, and they explained a bit about what had happened to them to get them where they were, and how they wanted to save their parents and Haku.

"I don't get along with my sister." Zeniba told them. "She's so obnoxious, and you saw how tacky her home is. We're identical twins, yet exact opposites. I'm sorry she turned your parents into pigs, but there's nothing I can do. It's just the way things are. You'll both have to help your parents and Haku on your own. Use what you remember about them."

"Can't you please give us more of a hint than that?" Chihiro asked.

"She's finding it hard to hang on to our memories of our parents." Arya explained. "And we are having some kind of memories about Haku, but I'm not sure. He told us that he's known us since we were little."

"Yes, it seems like I might've met him once, at least." Chihiro added. "But it was a long time ago."

"That's a good start." Zeniba encouraged. "Once you've met someone, you never really forget them. It just takes a while for your memories to return. While you two are thinking, the boys and I are going to make both of you something, and I want both of you to call me Granny from now on."

While everyone else was making something with the spinning wheel, the girls raked through their memories. Sometimes they talked in low voices to try and piece things together, sometimes they were silent. Arya mostly stared into space as she thought, while Chihiro crouched with her head down and knees drawn up.

After about half an hour, Chihiro looked up at her sister. "Can you remember anything?" she asked.

Arya shook her head. "Mom and Dad are becoming harder to remember, and whenever I try to remember anything about Haku, my mind just brings up a white and turquoise colour."

Chihiro went up to Zeniba. "Granny, I can't remember anything at all." she said anxiously. "Haku could be dead already and I'm just sitting around here." Her eyes filled with tears.

"And Mom and Dad could be killed and eaten any time now!" Arya added. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

Finally, Zeniba gave the two girls what she and the others had made – a hair tie for each of them. Chihiro's one was in shimmering purple, while Arya's sparkled, but it was sky blue.

"They'll protect you." Zeniba explained. "They're made from the threads your friends wove together."

"Thank you." the girls chorused. This time, Arya unwound her usual bun, swapping it for a ponytail, similar to Chihiro's. When her sister gave her a questioning look, Arya mouthed _sisterhood _at her. Never had the two girls ever worn their hair the same way since the ages of four and five – their rivalry had made them want to be anything but similar. But within the last few days, the girls had grown closer than they'd ever been before.

At that moment, the shutters in the house rattled. "What good timing!" Zeniba exclaimed. "We've got another guest. Will one of you let him in?"

Chihiro opened the door, but before she could even acknowledge the new arrival, Arya ran out to the majestic white dragon. Chihiro soon followed, crying out "Haku!"

"You're alive!" Arya murmured.

"I can't believe it. How did it happen?" Chihiro said, not really expecting an answer.

Zeniba smiled as she came to the doorway. "That's love for you."

The girls turned to her. "Look, Granny, Haku's alive!" Chihiro said.

Zeniba approached Haku. "I forgive you for stealing my precious seal," she told him, "But in return you must take care of these girls." She turned to the mouse and fly. "Okay, you two, it's time to go home. Come back soon." The mouse was her nephew, after all. They went back, this time on Chihiro's shoulder. No-Face decided to stay with Zeniba.

Finally, the girls hugged Zeniba goodbye. In a very short time, she really had become someone the girls could feel for like a grandmother. It was hard for them to believe that she was the same person they met at the bathouse that morning. "Don't worry, Sen, Ani." she said. "You'll be all right."

"I want you to know my real name." Chihiro said. "It's Chihiro."

"Mine's Arya." the older girl added.

"What pretty names." Zeniba remarked, the same way her twin had. "You take good care of them."

"We will." Arya assured her.

"Take care!" Chihiro called as the girls climbed onto Haku's back. "Thanks for everything!" And then they were flying in the sky.

**There's one more chapter and an epilogue left! Hope you liked this one. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Right. This chapter, enjoy! And wow, dream lighting, thank you for reviewing like five minutes after I put the last chapter up! Also, to Himeno Kazehito and the guest reviewer, thanks for reviewing.**

As Haku flew silently through the sky, the girls' memories began to come back. The colours Arya had became water, flecked with white foam. Chihiro remembered a little pink shoe and a splash. Both girls were remembering something that had happened, years ago.

This was what they told Haku. When the girls were very young, Chihiro had dropped her shoe into a river, and she fell in when she reached to get it back. Arya, who had been sitting dangling her legs, had jumped in to try to save her sister, but had underestimated the depth of the water. But instead of drowning, the girls had been carried to shore.

"And the name of the river was the Kohaku River." Chihiro said.

"We connect you with it." Arya said. "We think that might be your real name – the spirit of the Kohaku River!"

Suddenly, the dragon's scales fell off, and left in the sky was two girls holding hands with an older boy. Haku was still flying, but only now, he just held one of Chihiro's hands and one of Arya's. The girls' free hands held each others'.

"You did it!" Haku's eyes sparkled as he spoke. "I remember! I was the spirit of the Kohaku river. My name is Nigihiyami Kohaku Nushi."

"They filled in that river." Chihiro said. "It's all apartments now."

"That must be why I can't get home." Haku said. "I remember you both falling into my river. I remember the pink shoe."

"You saved us." Arya smiled at him. "We knew you were a good person."

Chihiro giggled. "Arya, weren't you the one to accuse him of having done something first?"

Arya raised her eyebrows, but she smiled. "As if I could doubt anyone who rescued us...twice."

It was dawn by the time they reached the bathouse. Pretty much everyone was waiting for them. Yubaba paced on one side of the bridge, in front of a dozen pigs, while everyone else was together.

Even from a distance, the girls and Haku heard Lin calling "Hey, there they are!"

Finally, as the girls and Haku set themselves down, the mouse and fly left Chihiro and turned back to their normal forms.

"Mama!" exclaimed the baby.

"My baby!" Yubaba exclaimed, hugging him. "Are you traumatized? Did they do terrible things to you? You're standing all by yourself! When did that happen?"

Arya scowled at the suggestion that someone might have hurt the baby.

"Don't forget your promise!" Haku said, stepping forward. "You must return Arya, Chihiro and their parents to the human world."

"Not so fast, Haku!" Yubaba snapped. "I get to give them one final test." The other spirits started yelling protests. Now all of them supported the girls. "Shut up!" Yubaba yelled.

"Stop it, Mama." the baby said suddenly. "Leave them alone. Sen and Ani and I had a really good time."

Yubaba gasped and protested. "But a deal is a deal, sweetie. I have to give them one final test."

"If you make either of them cry, I won't like you any more." the baby threatened.

But the girls were ready to take the test. All they had to do was work together to pick out which of the dozen pigs were their parents.

It took a few moments. The girls conferred and then Chihiro turned to Yubaba. "There must be a mistake. We are both sure none of these pigs are our mom or dad."

"None of them?" repeated Yubaba as she held both their contracts. "Is that really your answer?"

The girls nodded...and their contracts disappeared.

The pigs turned into men and women spirits. "You got it!" they exclaimed. The other spirits cheered.

"All right, you win, get out of my sight." Yubaba scowled.

The two girls bowed to her respectfully, waving to everyone else, then running across the bridge. "Goodbye! Thank you!"

Haku was waiting for them, and took one of their hands in one of his, running with them through the stalls.

"So where is our mom and dad?" Chihiro asked.

"When you passed the test, they woke up on the human side of the river." Haku answered. "They're there now, looking for you."

The river had become the field it was when the whole family had gotten there. Haku told the girls he couldn't go any further. He made them promise not to look back until they'd passed through the tunnel.

"What'll happen if we do?" Arya asked.

Haku's face became serious. "I can't really explain. Just promise you won't look back."

While the girls were going to leave, Haku was planning to quit his job as Yubaba's apprentice.

"Will we see you again?" Chihiro asked.  
"I'm sure we will." Haku said.  
"Promise?"

"Promise."

Arya wasn't so sure. "Just in case things don't go how we plan them..." she whispered, raising herself up on her toes. She tilted her head up, and kissed Haku on the lips – her first kiss. It was short, but it happened.

Chihiro didn't feel jealous. Both girls loved Haku, but in different ways. It was both those feelings that broke the spell that nearly killed him. Chihiro's love was more of the admiration and worship that only a girl of ten could feel for someone. Maybe there was a touch of romantic love in there somewhere, but she wouldn't have known it. Arya's love was purely romantic. She'd even call Haku her first serious crush, with true feelings.

The girls were still holding Haku's hand. "Now go," he said, "And don't look back."

The girls obediently raced down the hill together, when they heard a voice calling their names.

It was their mom. "Where have you two been?" she called. "Hurry up!" Their dad was there too. The girls looked at each other, and ran down to their parents.

It was obvious the girls' parents had no clue of what had transpired over the last few days. They were very surprised when they got through the tunnel and found the car covered in leaves.

Finally, the girls stopped resisting the temptation, and looked back through the pitch black tunnel. Both girls thought about their experiences. Not yet did they realize it, but they'd grown up a lot. Both finally understood the meaning of hard work – and of sisterhood. Chihiro had become more confident and open to new things, while Arya had learned empathy and understanding.

Their parents called them into the car as they thought.

"Come on, girls! Let's get to our new home!"

"You two aren't scared, are you?"

The girls turned and got back into the car. Their hairbands shimmered in the sunlight.

"A new home, and a new school." their dad mused as he drove off. "It is a bit scary."

Chihiro and Arya smiled at each other, and spoke at the same time. "I think we can handle it."

**Just an epilogue to go! Please, please, please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Right! So now we can finish! Sorry it's so short. *Sobbing* Thanks for reviewing, The Queen of Water, dream lighting, both guest reviewers and Himeno Kazehito.**

Chihiro and Arya settled into their new home and school quicker than they would have usually. The girls in Chihiro's grade were friendly, and she settled down and made a new group of friends easily. She was still more reserved than most girls her age, but nowhere near as shy as she was before. She also helped her parents out more, and so did Arya.

Speaking of Arya, she still liked to wind people up as times, but she knew her limits, and didn't do it so much. It made her much more likable, and she was very popular with the girls in her grade.

The sisters were closer than they'd ever been. Although Chihiro still called Arya a show-off and Arya still wound Chihiro up and teased her half the time, they rarely had serious arguments, and never fought as much as they had before. Their parents were very surprised at the change that had come over their daughters.

The girls knew that they couldn't tell their parents the truth and expect them to believe it, so they just made excuses. They told their parents about the spirit world, but were happy to let them think it was a story they'd made up.

"Where did you get the idea for that story?" their dad asked.  
"Would you make up another story with Haku coming back?" their mom asked.

"I don't think so." Arya said. "We got the idea from all the statues around the tunnel. But since the heroines of the story are just like us, we probably won't have another story until we get older."

"We got very attached to the characters." Chihiro added. "They feel almost real. When we were making up the scenes with Lin, for example, we felt like we almost did have a real older sister figure who looked after us."

The girls did miss the spirit world. They even missed Yubaba ordering everyone around. They missed the sound all around them, cleaning the baths. They missed No-Face and Zeniba, they missed Kamaji and his boiler room, and they missed working with Lin. Most of all, they missed Haku, hoping that one day, they would see him again.

As the years passed, Chihiro and Arya grew into sensible intelligent young women, working hard at school and having a lot of friends. They dated people too, although Arya never forgot her first crush. Neither girl ever forgot what happened in the spirit world. Even though the human world was their home, they started regularly visiting the field outside the tunnel, although the theme park and bathouse seemed to have disappeared. Although the girls hoped that maybe one day, they could visit the world once more, they knew that the human world would always be their home. But they would still have a place right there, in the spirit world.

**The End**

**Yes, that's how it ends! I don't know if I'll make a sequel. I might, if I'm inspired, but for now, no. Please, do review and tell me what you thought. Thank you for reading, and I have one last little favour to ask...send me just one more little review?**


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